Love Business

Shu puts her shoes on the shoe rack. Slowly, she walks to the living hall and lays herself on the sofa.

"Do you want your lunch or shower first?" asks Mei. Shu refuses to response, instead, she looks up, staring at the spinning fan.

"Shu..." Mei turns her head and looks at the girl. She can see her pouty lips stick out from her face.

"Honey..." Mei gently taps Shu's lap. The girl gazes at her.

"Are you okay?" Mei asks.

"I'm okay... It's just..."

Mei waits patiently. With Shu, she has to use a soft approach. Shu might look savage and chic, but the girl has a soft heart and is sensitive.

"I miss Mama..." Shu's voice is almost inaudible. Her head drops down.

"You wanna call her?" Mei asks Shu with a bright face.

"She's probably busy..."

"Lemme text me and ask. If she's free, we can call her. Okay?"

Shu nods. She slowly drew a smile on her face.

"For now, keep your bags in your room, take a shower, and let's have lunch, okay?" says Mei. Shu hops down from the chair and drags her bag into her room.

***

Pan strolls the aisle at the library. She checks the line of books one by one.

"Here you are, Miss Scammer..."

She jumps scared when Kim appears out of nowhere.

"Senior Kim..."

"So, you give me a wrong number,"

Pan flashes a cute grin.

"How's the host?"

"Super friendly, I think. But, he's not what I want," Kim tilts his head. He has been holding his anger for almost a day. Now that Pan is here, right in front of him, he has no intention to let her go.

"Great. He'll be a great companion, believe me," Pan replies with no guilty feelings.

"What should I do to make you surrender to me, Pan?" suddenly Kim's eyes are getting dark. He just had enough of Pan's rejection. By hook or crook, he will get this girl!

But, for Pan, Kim is just another childish boy who loves attention. She bet for her life that this is not the first time he's done this.

And she's not the first girl as well.

"I think you should just give up," Pan gives him good advice.

"You know that I won't..."

"Believe me, you will..."

Before Kim could justify his point, a girl struck her with a book on his head.

"You son of a bi-!"

"Ouch! Hey!" he turns around, looking at the girl who stares at him in fury.

"Who do you think I am, huh?! How dare you nail and bail me!"

"Tania, don't make a scene here... Let's talk outside..."

"It's Tasya!"

"Tania, Tasya... Whatever!"

Pan giggles as she quietly leaves the two amid their bickering.

"Pan! Wait!"

"Good luck with that, Senior Kim..." she dashes as soon as she sees a room to escape. She immediately checks out some books, walks towards the locker room, grabs her backpack from the locker, and runs outside.

Thanks, Tania- Tasya? Whatever! She murmurs alone. She walks towards the parking lot when she feels the vibration from her phone.

A text from Mei.

Pan finds a secluded spot to make a video call and smiles as she taps the call button

"Mama!!"

"Shu Honeyyyyy!!!"

"Mama. I miss you so much today..." Shu pouts her lips. The girl looks gloomy, unlike usual.

"What's wrong, bunny? Are you sick?" Pan starts to feel worried. It's not that Shu never acts up but when she looks like this, that's either she's feeling blue or unwell.

"No... I just miss you, Ma... But, I'm fine now!" the girl grins widely, showing her bunny teeth to Pan.

"Shu... I'm sorry..."

"Why tho?"

"I'm always absent from your life..."

"Mama, it's not like you can't come home..." Shu replies. Pan holds on to her tears. She is on the verge of crying.

"Mama, if you cry now, I won't forgive you!"

"Who said I wanna cry?"

"I can see your eyes..." Shu circles the lens, pointing her small finger at the screen.

"I'm not!" Pan quickly refutes Shu's claim. She grins widely, making Shu giggle in tiny.

"Ma, you look like a clown. Stop grinning please..." Shu closes her eyes with her hand. Pan can't help but smile in the midst of almost crying.

"I'm coming home this weekend," she tells Shu. The girl suddenly looks cheerful. Her lips stretch side by side and her eyes sparkle.

"Promise?"

"I promise..."

"And I'll be the guarantor.."

Pan's heart leaps as Zee suddenly appears on the screen, grabbing her shoulder and smiling sweetly at Shu.

"Uncle Zee!"

"Hello, Shu! Do you like the shoes that I gave to you?" asks Zee. Pan's eyes get widen.

"They are from you?!"

"Yes... Mama didn't tell you about that?"

"No! Mama, why don't you tell me?" asks Shu.

"Sorry bunny, I forgot..." Pan smiles but her eyes glare at Zee. "I'll deal with you later!" Pan then whispers to Zee.

"Uncle Zee..."

"Yes, bunny?"

"Would you like to come to my house this weekend?" asks Shu.

"Shu, Uncle Zee is busy-"

"Sure! I have some cool things to show you!" Zee quickly replies. Pan shoots him a sharp glare.

"Really? I can't wait!" Shu shrieks. Pan sighs heavily. If Shu is excited like this, there is no way she can say no.

She already lost the battle.

"Until then, can you do me a favor?" again, the child is asking Zee.

"What is it? Tell me..."

"Please take care of Mama. For me," says Shu.

Pan's heart cracks into pieces. Seeing Shu, on screen, asking him a favor, makes her overwhelmed. Shu misses her so much! How Pan wish she could hug the girl right now!

"I'll bring Ma home safely. Don't worry, okay?" Zee replies. Pan glares at the man. His eyes look glistening. His lips curve into a sincerely warm smile as if talking to his daughter.

Pan feels a thump on her chest.

That's a fact.

Shu is Zee's daughter.

After a while, Shu ends the call. She smiles, looking up at the ceiling. Somehow, after talking to Pan and Zee, she felt complete. The empty spot in her life is filled now.

All this time, she could only stare at her classmates talking about their parents.

'My dad is this, my dad is that..'

When it comes to her, she can't even describe what her father looks like. She never meets him in person, nor that she know if the man even exists. Shu can only talk about her mother; a figure that has lived with her since the beginning.

Seeing her mother with Zee makes Shu happy. Somehow, she feels like she can look up to him to look out for her mother. Zee brings her a feeling that she never felt before.

A presence of a father figure.

***

Zee removes his hand away from Pan's shoulder and takes a step back. He looks at her. From his spot, he can see that Pan is trying her best to keep her tears from falling.

"Here,"

Zee hands Pan a handkerchief. She takes it but her eyes remain fixed at him.

"Shu might be a child, but she can understand the situation well. You're doing a good job raising her. Be proud of yourself," says Zee.

Pan's eyes remain static at Zee.

"Shu is my life. Without her, I wouldn't be the person I am now..."

"Same here..." Zee replies.

Pan frowns. The man clears his throat and looks away.

"I guess I should take you home this weekend," Zee changes the subject.

"You don't have to..."

"I dare not break my promise to Shu," Zee replies. He gazes at Pan. "Let me take you home..."

"I might be attending a party this Friday at Paragon Height. The second-year senior invited Han and he asked me and Yara to join him. I'll go home straight from there," says Pan. It's a soft rejection from her, hoping that Zee will understand.

"Oh, Paragon Height... It's a club. Nightclub, actually,"

"Shia! Ai Han!"

Pan grimaces.

"Han didn't tell you that?"

"That sutt probably missed that part!" Pan balls her fists. Now, she's worried!

"So, are you still attending?"

"I have no choice. Yara joins us as well. I can't count on Han to take care of a fluffy teddy bear like Yara, especially in that kind of place!" says Pan.

"Worry about yourself first instead of Yara," Zee warns her. She chuckles as her eyes glares at Zee.

"No need to," she replies. "I know my limits. So did you."

Zee smirks as he watches Pan walks away from the spot. He shakes his head in tiny, still standing there in disbelief.

I taught her too much! Zee murmurs to himself.